Reason to Smile

Rose's POV

"So, what do you want to do today?" Dimitri asked me after I finished the dishes.

"Let's just walk around Baia." I said to him. He nodded and we got dressed and walked out the door.

We just walked around town. We went to stores and shops and fruit markets. We laughed and had a good time. No stress. No worries. Nothing.

That is until Dimitri and I noticed that the sun went down while we were in a store. We looked at each other. "Be careful." Dimitri said.

"I will be." I said. We walked in the middle of the dirt road. Not many humans were out and about. Once we got past all the buildings, I felt nausea sweep over me. "Dimitri. Do you have a stake with you?" He nodded. "Good. There are Strigoi. Not close though. But around." We both pulled out our stakes and went on high alert. The nausea grew stronger and stronger until I was almost about to throw up. I heard a rustling behind me and whipped around. A Strigoi jumped at me and I quickly dodged. He, being a klutz, fell to the ground where I staked him. I heard sounds of a fight Dimitri was having but that wasn't what my eyes were on.

They were on Nathan. Nathan, who had tortured me and almost killed me. I sprinted at him in a rage and got immediately back handed across the face. I twisted and was thrown of my feet. In an instant, Nathan was on top of me. "It's good to see you again, Rose." I whimpered in defeat. I looked over and saw Dimitri fighting two other Strigoi. He staked one but the other one was older and stronger. Oh god. I was going to die.

No. Don't think like that. I mentally smacked myself. Think. Think of ways to get yourself out of this mess. The ring. This was my only chance. I looked Nathan in the eyes. "It is good to see you. So I can kill you." He looked at me funny and then I ripped my ring off.

He saw the transformation but wasn't fast enough to do anything about it. I shoved him off of me and he flew backwards and landed on the ground. I jumped up and I could still hear Dimitri fighting a Strigoi. I turned back to Nathan who was now charging at me. He came closer and I side stepped him so I could hit him on the back. He buckled and stumbled. He didn't fall, and turned back to face me. "What are you?"

"I'm just like you. Just stronger." I hit him in the stomach. "And faster." I slammed him into the ground. "And angrier." With that I grabbed his head and twisted it to the side. I heard a sickening crack. He still wasn't dead, but he wasn't moving. I reached for my stake but my hand was burned at the touch of it.

Only one thing left to do. I turned back around and crouched down to Nathan's level. I grabbed his head and ripped it off. Strength. That's what he lacked. I am stronger than he ever would have been. I dropped his head and it rolled away.

Dimitri came up to me. "Roza?" I flinched and backed away. "Roza, put your ring back on." He grabbed my right hand. I was about to pull it away but he slipped the ring on my finger. I collapsed in to his arms and started to cry. "It's okay." He soothed me while stroking my hair. "Let's go home."

"No." I said pulling away. "We have to call an alchemist. To come and clean up." He nodded and I pulled out my phone and dialed the number I had memorized when I was in Russia only a few weeks ago.

"Hello?" Sydney's voice came over the phone.

"Hey Syd."

"Rose?"

I laughed. "The one and only."

"Are you okay? You just disappeared one day. I was keeping tabs on you for Abe and you just vanished."

"I know. I'm sorry. But let me tell you, it was worth it." I smiled and Dimitri and squeezed his hand.

"So, what do you need?"

"Well, we killed some Strigoi…"

**VA**

A few hours later we were sitting on the ground when a car pulled up and out came Sydney. "Hello, Rose." She hugged me. "And you are?" She held her hand out to Dimitri for him to shake it. He took it.

"Dimitri Belikov." Sydney jerked her hand away.

"No. You're the one Rose came to tell your family about." She looked back to me. "Rose, how is this possible?" I sighed and launched into the story. Yet again.

"And now we're here." I concluded.

"Well. If that's all." She said unbelieving.

"Sydney, I'm tired. So if you're not going to believe me, then do the potion thing with the Strigoi, and leave." I grabbed Dimitri's hand and pulled him away.

"Rose, no." I stopped and turned toward Sydney. "I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in." He looked toward Dimitri. "Let's start over." I looked at Dimitri and he nodded. Sydney reached out and shook his hand. "I'm Sydney Sage. An alchemist Rose calls every time she kills something."

"Not every time." I grumbled.

"Hello, Sydney. I am Dimitri Belikov. I am Rose's husband and the person that taught her everything she knows."

"Not everything." I grumbled again.

They both laughed. Sydney did the potion thing and took us to our house. "Isn't this Mark and Oksana's house?"

"Uh… yah." I opened the door. "The blond Strigoi you just- uh… disposed of, ordered for them to be killed."

"Oh." She said and looked at her feet.

"Are you hungry, Sydney?" Dimitri asked trying to change the subject.

"Uh... no." She said and looked down embarrassed.

"Same old Sydney." I laughed at her. "That means more for me!"

"Same old Rose." She smiled at me. I smiled back.

Nathan was dead. There was a reason to smile. My life was going to go back to normal. Well, normal as it can be.

Yay! But don't worry. This is not the end. I still have an entire different part of the story to introduce. So don't worry. May not have it all planned out, but I have an outline. Sorta. Review!